I never got why the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare as it is most popularly known, was such a big deal. I was 13 when the bill was passed in 2010, and was (and still am) on my parents' health care plan, and don't know the complexities of the health insurance markets. What I get even less is why the entire Republican Party seems to hate it with a burning passion, enough to use its repeal as a campaign point in every election since 2010, propose its removal 67 times, and even shut down the government for several weeks. And now, with a "Republican" president and a Republican majority in Congress, they might finally get their dream.
Unfortunately, for the millions of Americans who actually benefit from the Affordable Care Act, that might look a lot like a nightmare. It is estimated that around 32 million Americans, about a tenth of the country, will lose their insurance in the next ten years if the latest attempt to repeal and "replace" Obamacare goes through. All insurance premiums (what you pay for coverage) will go up by at least 20 percent, due to the individual mandate requiring everyone be insured being repealed. If you're sick, though, it will be much, much higher; the law will also permit insurers to raise the premiums of those with pre-existing conditions to exorbitant levels, if not deny them insurance entirely. They wouldn't have to cover pregnancy and maternity care, mental health treatment, substance abuse treatment, or even prescription drugs, all of which are required by the ACA as "essential benefits".
Here is a rough estimation (as the Senate has decided to not wait for the numbers from the official sources) of how much the new bill will cost if you have one of several common conditions:
That's thousands, if not tens of thousands of...wait.
Oh. Oh.
You know what? This just got personal. Senators Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy, I don't know if you know what exactly is in this bill of yours (most indications seems to be that you don't), but you are rendering a disservice to the American people. No one deserves to pay over five thousand dollars because of the way they were born. No one deserves to pay over ten thousand dollars to even give birth. Hell, no one deserves to pay over a hundred thousand dollars for something that could save their life. If you'll excuse me for a minute, I am going to call my senators and tell them not to back this bill, or any future bills of their ilk. My life might not depend on it, but other's certainly do.
